Ah, magical Mykonos, where we come to party hard, shop for chic rags, and spot the celebrities who congregate on the Island of the Winds like (very glam) flies.
There are plenty of swanky places to stay on Greece’s glittering Cyclades atoll, but Kalesma is right up there with the best. Perched on a breeze-cooled hilltop with birds eye views of super-yacht-littered Ornos Bay, where celebs (and mere mortals, like us) come to play, it’s also an easy hop from Chora’s designer boutiques, feet-in-the-water tavernas and bougainvillea-shaded streets. Chilled ambience, relaxed sartorial style, and super-stylish suites spell the perfect stay.
Why stay at Kalesma Mykonos?
Aesthetics are certainly one of the reasons: suites set in discreet clusters on a hilltop linked by a looping road to Ornos’s golden sands below are Cycladic cubes, whose moulded lines the colour of mastixa ice-cream fit perfectly into the surrounding landscapes planted with the exotic paws of prickly pear. If you can ignore the odd electric pylon, or two (oh Greece – when will you get rid of these beauty-ruiners?) the eye-candy views of Ornos’ beach babes, and superyachts spied through wind-waved palm fronds – or glimpsed from the pretty infinity pool – are glorious, especially at sunset when the yachts glitter like precious gems, and the hillsides turn deep blue. For the genial owner, who has plenty of tales about Mykonos in the old days, this resort was a labour of love, and it shows.
What are the rooms like at Kalesma Mykonos?
46 rooms and suites are set on two levels, and each level is grouped around its own large infinity pool. With interior design by Athens company Studio Bonarchi, rooms and suites are plush and comfortable: there are chunky wooden footstools, handcrafted lamps, tweed-covered cushions, tables made from pitted marble slabs, and huge TV screens that emerge, Bond-style, from behind door-size mirrors. If you’re planning to be out and about, cosy upper floor rooms with panoramic seaviews are perfect; as are lower floor rooms which also have alfresco jetted tubs.
27 seaview suites – entered via private courtyards behind high doors, complete with outdoor showers – are more like mini villas. Spacious bedrooms have Bond-style TVs, wood-beamed ceilings,and plump king beds, whilst living rooms have moulded concrete desks, Sonos speakers, and smooth tiled floors perfect for barefoot padding. Bathrooms, big enough to be separate rooms, have sunken tubs with pool views, and hyper-luxurious Frederic Malle toiletries – there’s even some fitness gear in the cupboard if you fancy working out on your terrace with it’s infinity pool gazing out over Ornos Bay. In fact my only peeve was with the room controls – there are so many buttons and switches, it took me 10 minutes to turn off al the lights.
What is the food like at Kalesma Mykonos?
There’s not a huge choice but what there is full of flavour, with a strong focus on healthy ingredients. The lovely Luau-like dining area with ceramic pots, plants and beamed ceilings is the backdrop for breakfast’s buffet of bite-sized croissants, fresh bagels, cream cheese, cereals, seeds, and different breads. The a la carte menu includes smoothies – try the Green fusion with apple, kale, cucumber and ginger. There are also Acai bowls, organic eggs fried in sheep’s milk butter, and egg-white omelette with avocado. In the evening it morphs to Pere Ubu showcasing executive chef Costas Tsingas reinvented Greek cuisine: highlights include a classic Greek salad topped with slabs of fried feta saganaki, and a richly flavoured reinvention of Greece’s iconic gyros.
Kuveda is the all-day Greek taverna down by the lower level pool serving street food-styled treats. Dishes are chalked up on a board each day – during my stay there were Black Angus beef burgers, grilled octopus with hummus, and ice-cream-smooth white tarama served with mopping rags of handcrafted pita. Portions are huge so order to share.
What’s the service like at Kalesma Mykonos?
There are 85 staff members, so a ratio of two per room. Reception staff clad in flouncy country girl smock dresses hand you a refreshing tumbler of homemade lemonade and whisk you through check in, before showing you to your room where you’re given a detailed tour (and you need it because room controls are fiddly). In the resort’s two restaurants service is seamless, with dishes delivered swiftly, and finished plates immediately cleared away.
What are the pools and facilities like at Kalesma Mykonos?
It’s a small-scale hotel so don’t expect mega facilities, but what there is, is excellent. Sports bunnies –and there are plenty in Mykonos - will love the state-of-the-art Technogym equipment. There are lots of water features, like little lagoons, dotted around the lobby, which opens onto a good-sized infinity pool surrounded by plump sunbeds. There’s also a second pool at the bottom of the property (views to Tinos Island are even better from here). Jewel in their crown is the pretty spa where Barbara Sturm treatments are dished out by nimble-fingered Vivianne as you lay on a sumptuously comfortable Gharieni massage bed – it was possibly one of the most blissful experiences I’ve had in a hotel spa.
They also have a unique collaboration with artist Faye Chatzi, who’s reviving old weaving techniques, if you fancy getting hands-on experience of working a clunky traditional loom.
What’s the area like around Kalesma Mykonos?
Straddled over Alogomandra hill it sits between two of the island’s best beaches. Ornos’ sheltered scoop of sand perfect for families, is also home to beach clubs and tavernas, whilst breeze-bathed Corfos beach is the one for wind- and kite-surfers. There are daily cruises to the mystical island of Delos, birthplace of Artemis and Apollo, from Mykonos town’s old port, which is 10 minutes drive away (count 30 minutes during rush hour).
Why you should book as stay at Kalesma Mykonos?
Mykonos might be a magnet for party lovers, but it also has a more peaceful side. Set on a hill overlooking some of island buzziest beaches, but at the same time far enough away not to be troubled by late night noise, Kalesma offers the best of all worlds.
DETAILS
Address: Aleomandra, 84600, Mykonos, Greece.
Price: Starting from around €427 per night
Closest transport: Mykonos airport is five kilometres away – the hotel can arrange your transfer. KTEL buses that run between Chora and many of the best-known beaches.